A brief history
of capacity-building in the UNFCCC
process

A country cannot mitigate or adapt to climate change without first having the capacity to do so. That
is why capacity-building has been part of the UNFCCC negotiating process since its inception two
decades ago. Capacity-building has long been recognized in the Convention’s work on such issues
as national communications, greenhouse gas inventories, technology transfer and adaptation. Since
2001, capacity-building activities in developing countries and in countries with economies in
transition have been guided by two frameworks, which are described in more detail below.

Capacity-building frameworks

In 2001, the Conference of the Parties (the supreme decision-making body of the Convention) adopted
two frameworks that address the needs, conditions and priorities of developing countries and
countries with economies in transition. The frameworks are enshrined in decisions 2/CP.7 and
3/CP.7.

The frameworks provide a set of guiding principles and approaches to capacity-building, for example
that it should be a country-driven process, involve learning by doing, and build on existing
activities. They also contain a list of priority areas for action on capacity-building, including the
specific needs of least developed countries and small island developing States. They reaffirm that
capacity-building is essential to enable these countries to implement the objective of the
Convention.

The frameworks set out a way forward for capacity-building activities, such as developing and
strengthening skills and knowledge, as well as providing opportunities for stakeholders and
organizations to share their experiences, and increasing their awareness to enable them to
participate more fully in the climate change process.

The frameworks also provide guidance on the support of financial and technical resources to be
addressed by the Global Environment Facility, bilateral and multilateral agencies, and other
intergovernmental organizations and institutions. The frameworks call for developing countries and
countries with economies in transition to provide information on their specific needs and priorities
through national communication and submissions, while promoting cooperation and stakeholder
participation.

In 2005, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol
(CMP) decided that the capacity-building frameworks were also applicable to the implementation of the
Kyoto Protocol. The CMP endorsed these frameworks to guide capacity-building activities under the
Kyoto Protocol in developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

More information on previous comprehensive reviews of the implementation of the capacity-building
frameworks in developing countries and in countries with economies in transition is available
here.

Enhancing capacity-building support

In the years following the adoption of the frameworks in 2001, countries continued to implement or
enhance capacity-building activities at the individual, institutional and systemic levels. These
efforts were bolstered by annual monitoring and periodic reviews that looked at progress on the
implementation of the capacity-building frameworks, as well as by a series of workshops and meetings.

The following year, a decision was adopted at the Cancun Climate Change Conference. In the Cancun
decision,
Parties agreed to several action items, including strengthening relevant institutions, including
focal points and national coordinating bodies and organizations, and strengthening climate change
communication, education, training and public awareness at all levels.

At the Panama Climate Change
Conference in 2011, Parties engaged in a three-hour in-depth discussion on
capacity-building with representatives of relevant bodies established under the Convention, with the
Global Environment Facility and with other delegates involved in negotiating mitigation, adaptation,
and technology and finance. They discussed various issues, including: support and institutions for
adaptation; capacity-building for the preparation of national communications; and the need to design,
integrate and coordinate capacity-building in order to deliver it more effectively.

Durban Forum on Capacity-building

The Panama in-depth discussion, hailed as a success by Parties, paved the way for the careful
crafting of the decision text on the Durban Forum a few months later during the Durban Climate Change
Conference – the city from which the Forum takes its name. Parties decided the Forum would meet
once a year during the UNFCCC negotiating sessions and allow for the participation of all
stakeholders in the process. The Forum was designed as a place where representatives from Parties, UN
organizations, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, research, academia and the
private sector would share ideas, experiences, lessons learned and good practices on implementing
capacity-building activities in developing countries.

The Forum’s inaugural meeting was held at the Bonn Climate Change Conference in May 2012.
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